The Hoppin’ Mad Bunch

It's easy to understand the Trump ascendancy: the election of an African American was the last straw for the “god-fearing” poor-white-man-group who have long survived on the belief that they are "better" than at least "them" (they generally revere and/or grovel to the white rich class, hence the use of "at least") for a couple of hundred years.

Since the "supremacy" of their condition has depended upon believing that being "god fearing decent white men" gives them some special set of seats at the great American table, way ahead of anyone but their “betters” (the rich white people mentioned previously, the "god fearing decent white men have become increasingly bitter as they have fallen farther and farther behind: turning the same bolt with the same wrench at the same work station in the same factory in the same town for the same company across multiple generations has become a less and less available option.

Business and economies, unfortunately, don't care too much about "god fearing decent white men".

But god had granted that goodness of living - in their view - so there must have been an interloper - probably from Satan - who had harmed god's plan.

Obama has served as the personification of that interloper.

Prima facie: Obama has been against having every American carrying a gun to church, so he was obviously an agent of Beelzebub.

Then came 2009.

Everybody but the 1% lost their asses.

That was especially hard on the god fearing bolt turning white men who were already in the ditch.

Then came the tea party.

They said we needed to take our country back.

"From whom" I remember wondering.

Then came the elections of 2010: tea party republicans took over.

Then came no results: the god fearing white men still were losing their bolt turning jobs.

So it must not be god, they thought, it must be that African in the White House.

They already knew that: he was from whom they were going to "take our country back".

And Trump has figured all this out.

He may not be stupid but he is cunning.

His format is simple and it is compelling to those who feel no hope: he is a liar: he says he says he will bring back jobs day one of his regime; he has put Obama on a list of hate (that is facile – it covers the President, but in code it covers all African Americans); he has added women to that list; he has added Muslims; he has added Mexicans; they all share in his brew of hate.

He wants to openly use torture as a matter of policy.

He wants to kill families of terrorists.

He would just as soon shoot someone down on 5th Avenue as to make a point in a debate: he says he could do that and he would still be loved.

And the god fearing white men are lapping it up.

My father once told me that Fascist states always needed an enemy.

Trump has trumped up a whole cadre of enemies for his supporters to seig heil over.

I guess success in this regard shows that any hope for a better America is probably futile.